San Carpoforo Creek Trailhead

The San Carpoforo Creek Beach Access is the northernmost portion of the state-owned properties in Hearst San Simeon State Park. A portion of this beach is also in Los Padres National Forest and it’s signed that way at the trailhead. On the north side of the Highway 1 bridge over San Carpoforo Creek there is a small pull-out parking area with a fence and a gate. It’s about eight miles north of the Piedras Blancas Light Station and across from a house at the address 18550 Cabrillo Hwy, San Simeon, CA. Beyond this gate is a trail that leads down to San Carpoforo Creek. The creek pools up behind the beach, sometimes breaching the sand and connecting to the ocean. You’ll have to walk out to the end of the creek or find a shallow spot to cross it if you want to reach the ocean waves. This is a wide sandy beach that doesn’t get a lot of visitors. On the other side of a large rock at the south end of this beach is another hidden beach called Ragged Point Beach. About 1.5 miles north along the highway is the Ragged Point Inn and Resort which has lodging, a restaurant, and gift shop.